The City of Flame - Cappadocia

The lava and ash which spewed from Mt. Erciyes, Mt. Hasan and Mt. Güllü sixty million years ago formed soft layers of rock, which were then eroded by wind and rain over millions of years to form the region of Cappadocia, which today charms the entire world. The locals gave this unique and magical place a nickname: the fairy chimneys.

Cappadocia features a unique beauty that combines nature and history. Humans have used the fairy chimneys as dwellings throughout history, carving them into homes and places of worship that still bear the traces of thousands of years of civilization.

Cappadocia is a kingdom that was established in Central Anatolia after the death of Alexander the Great and in Persian it means “land of beautiful horses.” The valleys in the region all run into the Red River (Kızılırmak) and the castle at Uçhisar is like an eye on a hill keeping watch over the long valleys of Cappadocia and the fairy chimneys. The tourist region that is today known as Cappadocia consists of Aksaray's Ihlara Valley, the Göreme National Park and Underground Cities in Nevşehir and the Soğanlı Valley in Kayseri.